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Bullied Gary Walsh today told how playground taunts shattered his young life.

Day after day homophobic insults were thrown at Gary in the school yard because of his love of dance.

Over the years, the teenager’s confidence was systematically destroyed.

Now, after leaving school and becoming a professional dancer, Gary, of Hebburn, South Tyneside, has released a video telling his story and spoke about the devastating impact bullying can have.

He said: “At its worst, it was killing me.

“I didn’t want to go to school, I would shut myself away in my bedroom. My confidence was gone, my self-esteem non-existent. They took it all away from me.”

Bullied dancer Gary Walsh from Hebburn

Gary, 24, endured years of bullying, starting when he attended his first ballet class at just seven years old.

“As soon as the word was out, it began,” he said. “They’d call me puff, queer, gay, any name they could because of the dancing.”

Gary, along with parents, Carol, 47 and Steve, 49, told teachers at St James RC Primary School in Hebburn about the bullying and said he got a lot of support.

“But it didn’t stop,” he added. “It would happen every day, and it was mainly from girls.

“It really hurt. It felt like they were taking away something I loved. I felt embarrassed, it was like they took something positive from my life and killed it.

Gary Walsh performing as a youngster

“By the time I got to St Joseph’s School my confidence was pretty much gone and this time it was the boys bullying me.

“At secondary school there’s much more of a hierarchy and that worked against me.

“I would go home at nights feeling angry, more confused than ever; why were they doing this?

“You know what, they made me feel jealous. I was almost envious of the power they had, the status they had.

“They could ruin my life and get away with it.”

Despite daily taunts, Gary continued to attend dance classes in the evening, determined his life was not going to be ruined.

Gary Walsh as a young boy

“Every day was hell, then I’d get to dance class and forget about it all for that hour.”

It was not until Year 11, when Gary started thinking about becoming a professional dancer, that things started to change.

“I suppose by then I knew who I was a bit more and could start building some confidence,” he added.

Now a dancer and singer on cruise ships, Gary has built a successful career for himself. He has also released a video onto his You Tube channel where he tells his story in the hope that other young people suffering at the hands of bullies can speak out.

He added: “A lot of good things have happened since leaving school. I met my girlfriend on the cruise ships and things are going really well.”